“He talked about wanting to go shoot commies and antifa all the friggin‘ time,” his roommate told Oregon Public Broadcasting. A man who police say opened fire at an anti-racist protest in Portland on Saturday, killing one person and injuring at least four others, had radical right-wing views and a history of threatening violence, according to people who knew him. Benjamin Smith, 43, was identified by police as the suspect on Tuesday, after anti-fascist researchers and the Oregonian had previously named him. Smith is currently “hospitalized in serious condition,” police said. The deceased victim was identified by loved ones as June Knightly, 60. Known by the nickname “T-Rex,” she was a beloved longtime member of Portland’s activist community, and would often assist with security and traffic control at protests to keep marchers safe. (…) Knightly had been at Saturday’s demonstration, which was held in protest of the police killings of Black people including Amir Locke, as part of a small group of volunteers focused on traffic control, witnesses said. Dajah Beck, 39, who was part of the group, told the New York Times that a man approached them and began yelling at them, calling them “violent terrorists” and misogynistic slurs. He also threatened to shoot them if they passed his house, she said. They tried to de-escalate the situation, she said, but he then began firing. Beck was shot in her side and her knee, and then said she saw “my two friends on the ground covered in blood.” One was Knightly, she said.
via buzzfeednews: A 60-Year-Old Woman Was Killed After A Man Who Reportedly Had Radical Right-Wing Views Shot At Anti-Racist Protesters
siehe auch: Beloved Portland Woman June Knightly Mourned After Protest Shooting Nightmare – RIP T-REX. A man described by police as a local homeowner confronted what one survivor said was an unarmed group of volunteers helping out at a BLM protest. Tragedy ensued. Friends say June Knightly was a curious soul who strived to understand tightly-held beliefs and find common ground between different groups. Over the years, she was involved in the LGBTQ community and dedicated to fighting for racial justice. That made her death over the weekend when a Portland, Oregon, protest was interrupted by gunfire all the more incomprehensible to those who knew her. Known as “T-Rex” to friends, the 60-year-old activist didn’t just speak about social justice issues; she showed up when it mattered. “That’s something I deeply admire about her,” one friend, Kristan Knapp, told The Daily Beast. “That she acted on her convictions.” On Saturday night, Knightly was volunteering at a protest against police violence when an armed homeowner allegedly confronted her small group focused on the event’s traffic control. A witness claims the man “immediately” fired bullets at the volunteers, though cops haven’t disclosed how the gunshots erupted. Knightly was killed and five others were injured. Police say one person returned the unidentified man’s gunfire. According to The Oregonian, Knightly was shot in the head and died during the violent encounter at Normandale Park, where demonstrators planned to protest the deaths of Black people killed by police—including Amir Locke, a 22-year-old fatally shot by Minneapolis cops during a no-knock warrant this month, and Patrick Kimmons, killed by Portland officers in 2018. Knightly often shared anti-racism posts on social media, as well as information on providing food and clothing donations for unsheltered city residents. “Be Kind, don’t lie, help others, and have empathy, and #BLACKLIVESMATTER,” her Facebook bio stated.
